Three Favours
by The Inspired Quill
Summary: He rubbed his hands together gleefully. "And once the Cahills, Kabras, and Holts have been captured," he snarled, "fame, glory, and power will be mine!"
1. Chapter 1

_**Prologue**_

He swallowed. Hard.

"And what will happen if we do not reach an agreement?"

The man facing him reached into his business suit's pocket. Today, he was wearing a jet-black suit and hat that matched both his disposition and the dark, gloomy room. "I'll be generous enough to let you choose: We can imprison you in our strongest, most fortified dungeon for the rest of your miserable life; you can "help" us develop a new, stronger weapon; or we can make your branch disown you and take away everything you have. We have the resources for all of those."

Even though Rupert was nervous and knew what was hidden inside that pocket, he managed to let out a snort. "My branch would never listen to you."

The man wearing black raised a thin eyebrow. "Oh? And how can you be sure of that?"

Rupert shifted his weight from foot to foot, leaning against the cold stone wall. "Well, you've lied to them, cheated, and stole. You've probably tried to kill them, oh, about five hundred times, too. You really expect them to listen to whatever nonsense you have?"

The black-clad man's patience snapped. Even with Rupert's advanced Cahill training, he did not see the man whip out a sharp, glistening knife. He did, however, see the jagged tip mere inches from his exposed throat.

He stifled a gasp.

The man glared at him. "There's more where that came from. Now, I want an answer: Will you help me or not?"

"May—May I ask a question?" Rupert stammered.

"Make it quick," the man barked.

Rupert hesitated, feeling small beads of sweat start to leak down his forehead. Luckily, his long brown bangs hid them from view.

"Spit it out!" came the command.

"What happens if I do go along with your plan?" he asked tentatively.

The man relaxed slightly, but the knife stayed where it was.

"You, and everyone who agrees, will receive enough money to make you rich."

Rupert hid his disappointment, eyeing the knife warily. "But I'm already rich."

"Hah!" he man sneered. "What I'm willing to give you will make you rich beyond imagination."

Rupert swallowed, and nodded ever so slightly. "So what's the assignment, again?"

The man scowled, his features twisting into a deadly look. "Weren't you listening?"

"Y-Yes, but I want to clarify." Normally, the Janus agent wouldn't stutter, but if the stories he had heard about the man were true, than he had every right to be scared.

"Call the others."

Rupert whipped out a phone, complete with all the latest features, and spoke into it. "Janus, report to me! Ekats, you too! He will explain our assignment!"

The man wearing black leered at him, sheathing the knife. "It's a wonder anybody ever listens to you."

Rupert was about to spit back a reply when the other agents strode into the small, dimly-lit room. The small wooden door creaked shut, hiding the only other room—a small dusty waiting room—in the small building from view.

One agent peered at a small candle flicking high on the wall, but at the imposing man's stern look, he hurried over to where the rest of the group huddled together.

"Now," the man barked, pacing from wall to wall. "You know that there are three, let's say, favours, I need. There are three groups of people who can give me those favours. Your jobs will be to find them and bring them here via the Gladarim. Then you collect your rewards, walk out of here and never meddle with my affairs again. Got it?"

One Ekaterina agent, wearing dark blue, called out, "Who are we supposed to look for?"

The man glared at him. "I was getting to that. But now that you've asked, I may as well tell you: The Cahills, the Kabras, and the Holts."

"I'm sure you'll want the Kabra parents and Holt parents, but the Cahills are children. Are you implying we are supposed to capture the… children?" Murmurs of agreement came out of the small assembled group.

"No, you dimwit," the man glared at him, "I want the Kabra children and the Holt duo. But, yes, I need the Cahill _children_."

"Holt duo?" A confused Janus asked. "But there are three Holt children."

"I only require two—the boy and the younger girl. They will be sufficient." His strong voice was sharp and efficient.

The Janus nodded, satisfied.

"The Janus will go for the Holts," he began.

"Wait!" A bold Ekat called. "We want to capture the Tomas!"

"Are you defying me?" the man glowered, his voice soft and threatening. "The _Janus_ will go for the Holts."

The Ekat stayed silent, hoping his now-trembling form would not be visible to the frightening man.

"The Ekaterinas will capture the Kabras," he continued. "The Janus will also retrieve Dan, and the Ekats will go for Amy. It would be best if you separated the Cahills. They will be collected next Monday. This gives you three days to grab your supplies and organize your groups."

He paused, and turned to face the group.

"Now, get going!"

As the door slowly creaked shut on badly-oiled hinges, Lambert allowed a small, crooked grin to slide up his dark face.

If all went well, and he had no doubt it would, he would be the undisputed leader of the Madrigals with more power than anyone could imagine. It would be a thing to look forward to.

He strode out of the room, slamming the door shut.

**Author's Note**: This chapter is a bit short, but the following chapters will be longer. It's also unbeta'd, but I read it over a few times. This is my first attempt at a 39 Clues fanfiction, so reviews are appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter One**_

"Amy! Amy!" Dan Cahill shouted into his sleeping sister's ear. He grabbed her shoulder and shook her violently.

She slowly sat up, pushing back the warm, brown covers of the hotel bed. Amy blinked the sleep out of her eyes.

"What's wrong, Dan?" she asked, her eyes straining to see her brother in the dark room.

"It's an emergency!" he exclaimed, his jade-green eyes wide. His hair was messy, and his fists clenched together.

In an instant, Amy was wide awake. "Is it the Kabras? Did they find us? Did they steal our clues?"

"No, no!" Dan cried out. "It's worse! It's worse than the time Aunt Beatrice made me return my ninja sword to Crazee Collectors; it's worse than the time the video game store ran out of ninja video games!"

He paused, gasping for breath. Then, he whispered softly and slowly, "We're out of food."

Amy grabbed her large hotel pillow and proceeded to smack Dan with it. "You dweeb! You woke me up just to tell me that?"

"If a person does not eat for three days, he or she will die," he stated matter-of-factly, unfazed by the pillow.

"You ate a bag of chips last night," she retorted. "It hasn't been three days yet."

"I've already gone without food for," he checked his glow-in-the-dark watch, "thirteen hours, thirty-six minutes, and fourteen seconds."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Tell Nellie that."

He was about to race off to Nellie's room, when Amy called him back.

"Not now, Dan," she scolded. "It's only 5:30 in the morning. Do it later."

He nodded, shrugged, and then left the room.

_He's probably gone to ransack the kitchen_, Amy thought. She pulled the covers over her again, and closed her eyes; sleep evaded her, no matter how hard she tried.

With a sigh, she reluctantly got up.

When Amy had made her appearance more presentable, she wandered into the kitchen.

She reflected on how lucky they were to find a hotel with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living area next to their old apartment. They were back in Boston, their hometown.

She idly thought about Aunt Beatrice and the Social Services. Were they still searching for them? Well, she and Dan would have to avoid them.

As she returned to reality, she wasn't surprised in the least at what she saw. The cupboards were all open, all the boxes and containers turned upside down, and Dan was poking his head into the miniature white refrigerator.

Amy shook her head, and decided that whatever she had wanted to do in the kitchen could be put off.

Back in the bedroom, she picked up her book. Settling in, she started to read.

Five chapters and ninety-two pages later, she heard an ear-splitting _crash_!

Amy raced into the kitchen, leaving her book on the bed. Dan huddled near a wooden stool as an enormous glass container laid at his feet. Bits of glass surrounded him, covering the floor.

"What happened?" Amy gasped.

Dan looked slightly guilty. "It was on the top cupboard and I wanted to see if it contained food."

As Amy was about to reply, Nellie, their au pair, rushed in.

"What happened?" She eyed the broken glass on the floor, and immediately figured it out.

Amy shot Dan a look that clearly stated, _Wow, dweeb, you've even woke Nellie up. _

He shrugged, _If she's up she might as well go shopping. There's a market nearby_.

Nellie looked at him. "I suppose you were hungry, and since you ate the last bag of chips yesterday night, you scavenged the kitchen, and managed to break the largest container in here. Am I right?"

He nodded sheepishly. "Yeah."

Nellie yawned. "Since you decided to interrupt my peaceful slumber, I'm not in a very good mood. However, because I want my sleep, I'll take you to the market down the street right now; we'll be back in half an hour, and then I'll sleep until noon. Sound good?"

"Yes!" came Dan's enthusiastic reply.

Five minutes later, Nellie and Dan were at the door.

"You coming, Amy?" Dan shouted.

"No thanks," she replied.

He shrugged, and followed Nellie out the door.

Amy locked it, and returned to her bedroom. She opened the curtains, and let the sunlight flood in. She could see Nellie and Dan on their way to the store in the distance. In the opposite direction, there was a small park, covered with trees and glistening dew. High above it all, a pristine blue sky, devoid of clouds, created the perfect background.

Suddenly, Amy felt like going on a walk. It would only take fifteen minutes to the park and back, and she would return long before Nellie and Dan.

She jogged downstairs, out of the hotel's large elaborate doors, breathing in the fresh, clean air outside. A gentle breeze tugged at her hair, and the sunlight was warm upon her face.

She turned towards the park.

A few cars passed her every now and then, fellow travelers on the way to their destination for the day.

She quickly arrived at the park—it was now across the street.

She glanced left: there were no cars coming.

She glanced to the right—and then she saw them.

Three tall, slim men walked her way, looking her in the eyes. They were dressed identically in black suits and pants, leaving only their eyes visible. Their pockets bulged with heavy items. A small yellow symbol was attached to the front of each of their suits, and they strode purposely towards her.

Danger radiated from their every step.

Amy ran towards the park, trying to lose the men. She skirted around tall, leafy trees, and pushed past small bushes. Amy ran deeper into the park, going farther into it than she had ever before.

She glanced back; there was nothing. Then she felt herself bumping into something solid. Amy fell onto the ground, the wind knocked out of her.

"Need a hand?" a voice asked. "I apologize for being in your way, miss."

Amy looked up, and found a young man standing in front of her. He was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt, and his blue eyes twinkled.

"O-Oh, it's alright," Amy stammered.

"You seemed to be running from something, as you were looking behind you," he guessed as she stood up to face him.

"Yes," she admitted shakily. "There were three men, dressed in black, heading straight for me. The park seemed like the only way place to go."

The man's face looked at her, shock in his eyes. "I know them! They're very dangerous."

"I can tell," Amy murmured.

"I know a place where you can go and they will not follow," he told her.

Amy looked up.

"Go that way," he said, pointing. "Turn left twice, then go down the alley. There's an exit there, which you can follow back to this park. You'll lose them that way, and you can return to wherever you were staying." He smiled at her gently.

"T-Thanks," Amy blushed.

As she ran off, the man watched her. Then he took out a phone, and dropped his act. His kind face turned cold and stony, and his fake smile slipped off his face like a drop of water on a duck's wing. "Cahill girl is coming your way; get ready," he hissed.

**A/N: I tried to make the characters as IC as possible, but if you want to point anything out, feel free. Reviews are always appreciated. **


	3. Chapter 3

_Two left turns and then down the alley_, Amy thought frantically. She was dismayed to see that the streets the man had sent her down were relatively empty. Whereas the streets before had been full of bustling, busy people, caught up in life just as she was, though not in such a serious situation, these streets seemed to come from a ghost town.

She quickly glanced behind her, and was relieved to see that the men hadn't caught up to her. Amy fervently hoped that the man in the park had been right, that her pursuers would not come to look for her here.

Her hair streamed out from behind her, flying in the wind. Her feet pounded against the ground. She showed no signs of exhaustion; the Clue hunt had provided plenty of cross country practice.

Amy passed the alley. She skidded to a stop, and peered down. It was dark and shadowy, untouched by sunlight.

Hesitantly, Amy walked in. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and to her surprise, she saw only a concrete wall at the end. To the side, there was another small alley, but it was pitch-black.

She realized it immediately—she had walked into a trap.

"Going somewhere?" a new voice purred.

The girl stopped suddenly, watching in horror as the three men melted out of the shadows. With their raven black attire, it seemed as if they and the shadows were one being.

The leader stepped towards her. Behind him, the other men moved into position, preventing Amy from escaping.

"Took you long enough to arrive. Did you stop to chat to our agent?" he asked, smirking.

With a jolt, Amy realized who the man in the park really was—an agent. No wonder he had given such specific instructions to her. Why had she trusted him so easily? Then Amy recognized the yellow symbol attached to his suit. A yellow dragon—Ekaterina.

"I-I thought only L-Lucians could hide in the shadows," she snorted, trying to be sarcastic. It distracted her from the seriousness of the situation.

The Ekat shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was only a pleasant conversation. Of course, both knew better than that. "You're right, Cahill girl. I would rather be inventing in my lab, but he insisted on teaching us the secrets of the Lucians, as well as the Janus and Tomas."

"W-Who's he?" Amy asked, trying to get past the annoyance of being called "Cahill girl."

"Them?" the man responded, pointing at his assistants. However, Amy could see from the glint in his dark eyes that he knew exactly who she was referring to.

"I think…" started one of the men in the back.

"Yes?" prompted the first man.

"I think we should stop talking and get down to business. The truck's in the back."

The man nodded. "You're right. Tie her up, and we'll be done."

Defiant, Amy glared at them. "It won't be easy," she warned. She wondered if she should make a run for it, into the other alley. It was only a few paces away.

The leader caught her glancing into it. "Not there, either, girl. That's where all our backup men are located." His tone said clearly that he wasn't bluffing.

The third Ekat snickered at her. "You think that you're a match for us? One against three, plus others in the back? Nothing matches an Ekaterina's brilliance."

"Well said," congratulated the leader. He nodded briefly at him, then pulled out a remote and started to fiddle with it.

"Is that for the machine you developed last week?" asked one of the other agents, coming to stand beside the first man.

"Yes," he replied absentmindedly. His fingers moved faster.

Suddenly, he threw a gold coin at Amy. It missed her on purpose, and latched onto the ground. It stayed there.

With a satisfied mad-scientist smirk, he pressed a large red button on his remote.

A large machine dropped down from the top of a nearby building. It was large yet lightweight, created from metal and blue glass. Four legs protruded from each side of the dome shaped machine, wrapped tightly in a metal coil. Each end of the four legs produced a beam of red light, glowing eerily in the dark alleyway.

"It's fashioned from specially designed carbon nanotubes," he proudly proclaimed, as four small parachutes erupted out of the top. It slowly landed on the ground, right on top of the gold coin.

What happened next occurred so quickly that Amy hardly saw anything.

One of the robot's arms—the one nearest Amy—extended to twice its normal length. It swung wildly around Amy, wrapping around her in a tight grip. Then the second arm detached as the front of the robot opened. The detached arm grabbed her, bundled her up, and threw her into the machine. Then, the door slid shut.

The entire process had taken about three seconds.

The three Ekaterinas were watching with evident glee.

"It's even faster than the last time we tested it!" the first man proclaimed. He pressed the button on his remote again, and the machine died down.

He walked over and picked up the detached arm, and reattached it.

Then, wordlessly and effortlessly, he picked up the machine and brought it to a large silver truck idling in the alley. It filled the alley so there was barely any space for the door to open. If Amy had seen it, she would have noticed the large, bold word that would give a clue to the nature of her capture.

One of the other men opened the door with difficulty for the first Ekat, and he dumped Amy inside, still tied up. Finally, he closed the truck again, nodded curtly to the driver, and left, holding the now-empty machine.

"Our job is done," he announced, satisfied, to his companions.

**A/N: The action's starting to pick up... The next chapter will be in Dan's point of view.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues.**

"Here, carry these, Dan," Nellie called over the quiet din of the grocery, motioning to the bags lying on the wooden floor of the market.

Obligingly, Dan put back the magazine he had been leafing through and walked towards Nellie. Dodging the few other people walking around in the small store, he picked up two bags of groceries. They were heavy, but Dan didn't mind—after all, it was food.

Already blasting her iPod's music into her ears, Nellie picked up the remaining bags and they walked out of the small market. Dan squinted at the hotel in the distance; the glaring sunlight reflected off its glass windows, and pierced his eyes. For some reason, it seemed so far away.

However, after a moment, he realized that he couldn't hear Nellie's blaring music. He looked back. She had stopped, peering intently at a small building.

"Dan?" she shouted over her loud music. "Is that a music store over there?"

He followed her gaze. "Yeah," he confirmed. "Why?"

"Let's check it out!" his au pair suggested. She dragged him to the store, and set her bags on a wooden bench outside. "You made me lose sleep," she explained, "so I need something, at least, to make up for that.

"Wait here," she then commanded. "I'll be back in just a moment."

As she pushed open the door and disappeared into the building, Dan sat down on the bench, pulled a bag of food beside him, and started to rummage through it. The packaging's rustling sounds and the intoxicating aromas swirled around him. He took a deep breath, savouring it all. He did not notice the eerie silence hanging around the store, a strong contrast to the grocery.

"Well, well," purred a new voice. "Look what the Cahill boy is doing."

Dan looked up, his reverie interrupted. Behind him, leaning against the bench, was a man dressed all in black, with a small green pin attached. Dan had not sensed him arrive—it was as if the man had simply melted out of the shadows.

His eyes were drawn to the pin. It was green with a wolf—without a doubt, it was the Janus symbol.

Silently, he stood up. If there was only one Janus agent, then he figured he was not in too much danger.

_Never underestimate a Cahill_, an inner voice told him.

Then, another Janus, looking identical to the first one, strode up to them. He glanced at the music shop Nellie currently was in. "Nice choice," he approved. "Although it's really quite a shame only half of their music is from our wonderful branch. We're certainly the best."

_Boastful and arrogant as usual,_ Dan thought. He wondered when Nellie would exit the store and find him in his predicament. Then again, this was Nellie in a music store.

"Of course," the newcomer went on, "we cannot have your babysitter come rescue you—"

Dan gritted his teeth. "Au pair," he corrected, staring at the Janus agent firmly.

"Whatever," the first Janus replied airily, and then decided to change the topic. "When's the truck coming?"

"Huh?" asked a confused Dan.

A third Janus emerged from behind the building. "It has arrived," she stated, brushing away a brown lock of hair. Her blue eyes gleamed with intent.

"Come with us," the second man told Dan, gesturing.

Annoyed, he crossed his arms and stood there solidly. "Obviously, it's a trap."

The Janus tried to hide his startled look, although it clearly showed in his wide eyes. "We have, uh, ninja games."

Incredulously, Dan narrowed his jade eyes. "For a Janus, you have terrible acting skills. Have you never attended drama classes or something?"

The first man pushed the younger agent aside, and hissed to the irritated woman standing at the back, "I knew we should have left the amateurs behind! They need to learn." Then he faced Dan. "But he was right about one thing. You're coming with us."

Dan raised an eyebrow, hoping to buy time for Nellie. "You think it's just that easy?"

The Janus pulled out a dart gun, and aimed it at Dan. "I've taken archery lessons before," he warned. "I had the best aim in my class. Then again, none of the others were descendents of Jane Cahill."

"I thought Janus only did artistic stuff," Dan drawled. "When'd you learn to use a dart gun?" _Reminds me of Natalie,_ he thought wryly.

"Lucian training." The reply was short and to the point.

Before Dan could think of another reply, the younger agent spoke up. "Shouldn't we move away from the sidewalk? There are pedestrians here; they could see us."

The dart gun was momentarily dropped. "You're right," he said thoughtfully.

The oldest agent strolled over, and Dan felt himself being lifted off the air. He gasped in amazement. _A Janus that lifts like a Tomas?_

"Tomas training," the man uttered monotonously, as if he could read Dan's mind.

Before Dan could react, he was deposited on the ground. He collapsed on the slippery grass shrouded in the nearby trees' shadows. According to his watch, half-hidden in his sleeve, it was 7:00am. Against his will, he yawned.

The Janus grinned at him, showing perfect white teeth. "Tired, huh? I have something that will solve your problem. Give me the Ekat invention." The last sentence was directed towards the other Janus.

Dan stared at the man. He had Lucian training, Tomas training, and Ekat resources? What kind of a Janus was he?

As he watched, the man was tossed a small gray ball. It shone in the sunlight, gleaming like the glass windows Dan had peered at only moments before.

Then, the ball was tossed straight at him. Before Dan could react, a thick black net shot out of the sphere like silk out of a spider. He was trapped in seconds.

The lead Janus picked him up. Dan struggled, but to no avail. The holes were too small for him for reach out, allowing only enough air to breathe in comfortably.

"You—you're not—why—" He failed about in the net, attempting to land some blows on his captors. They simply walked along as if they were taking a stroll in the park.

However, after a few minutes, the one holding Dan stopped and glared at the trapped boy. His eyes looked menacing in the shadows, but the boy had seen worse. "Learn to control yourself. Behave."

He glared back. "What am I, a dog?"

The Janus let him drop to the ground. Dan winced when he landed on a sharp rock. Then the man raised his arm with fury in his eyes. "That's it. I'm going to—"

However, the two other Janus restrained him. "He told us to capture the boy unharmed! You know what he will do if we—if you—"

"Well, I'm not carrying him anymore," the first Janus declared. "Whose bright idea was it to have the truck so far away?"

"You'd be better off asking who made the accessible roads so far away," retorted the third Janus.

While they were arguing, Dan tried pulling the strands apart. Nothing. He even tried to bite them apart, but that only resulted in a toothache. He decided that it was time for desperate measures. Taking a deep breath, he began to yell. "Help! Someone help me! I've been trapped in a net by a bunch of dumb spies who are trying to kidnap me! Nellie! Anyone! Help!"

The three agents looked at him. "Be quiet," the woman snarled. "No one can hear you anyway."

Undeterred, Dan continued. "Anyone out there? I'm in trouble here! Help! " His voice echoed in the trees.

Finally, the second Janus let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. I'll carry the boy. Later I get the largest share of the rewards."

"No, you don't!" exclaimed the third Janus over the sound of Dan's hoarse cries. She took a step towards him.

"Just get him to the truck. Later we'll discuss rewards." The first Janus sounded tired.

Dan felt himself being picked up again, and continued to struggle. However, now he was fatigued as well, and his blows not as powerful. It was fruitless. His throat also ached.

Behind the music store, there was a dark alley. Garbage and other items that Dan would rather not know about piled up against the bricks of the store, and a few flies buzzed about. In the center of the alley, a large, gleaming truck idled, smoke pouring out into the already acrid air.

The wide-eyed boy was thrown in, barely managing to avoid landing on his wrist, when the door was closed. He was still in the net.

It was pitch black. Not a single sliver of light snaked in the truck. Dan was alone, or so he thought.

**A/N: Comments? Likes or dislikes? Tell me in a review!**

**Thanks to whoever nominated me for the Madrigal Awards in the Adventure Category—it was quite a surprise. Still, many thanks.**


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